Does shopping for skincare products make you cringe? I get it – there are so many options out there. Just reading the labels alone can feel like studying chemistry!
Unfortunately, many people get frustrated by the complex world of skincare and just give up. They return to their old drugstore favorites, even though their skin is suffering.
I want to make it easier for you to get the skincare products that will improve your skin’s health inside and out. So, here is my simple guide to the top skincare products and ingredients you should get to know!
Hold Up – Do I Even Need Special Skincare Products?
Even if your skin is vibrant and healthy, it’s always important to consider prevention. Issues like sun damage, aging, and even blemishes can appear out of nowhere. In reality, though, these issues are developing all throughout our lives.
Photo damage hides deep in our tissue. Those decades of laughing, being surprised, getting upset, and sharing all of our wonderful expressions results in little lines and wrinkles. Over time and all at once, we age. It takes years for age to start revealing itself, but once it’s there, it’s much more difficult to erase it than to heal and prevent it in the first place.
Aging should never be the issue. After all, it is a privilege. With that said, there is nothing wrong with wanting to do it as gracefully and healthfully as possible. To do so, we need to step up our skin care game!
At Wellnest Denver, we can get your skin looking its best in the treatment room. But every day at home is where the real transformation happens. The work that we do in the treatment room won’t last if you aren’t using the right skincare routine to continue to support your skin. Especially living in a high desert like Denver!
So, without further ado, let’s get to those skincare products!
Wellnest Denver’s Favorite Skincare Products for Gorgeous Skin
Oil Cleansers
Why Oil Cleansers?
At home, I start every cleanse routine with an oil cleanse. Oil cleansing is a great way to prep your skin and the perfect start to any routine. Not only does oil cleansing loosen up dirt and debris on the surface of the skin, it also makes makeup removal super easy eliminating the need for wipes. Starting your routine with an oil cleanse is one of the easiest changes you can make.
Oily skin? This is still for you. You may think you should skip this step, it’s actually exactly what you need! Oil cleansers help balance oil content in the skin. Don’t be afraid of this amazing way to boost your routine, try it, I know you will love it!
Now before we start the oil cleans put the coconut oil back in the kitchen. Not all oils are created equal!
Surprisingly, coconut oil is not appropriate for our faces. The molecules in coconut oil are too large to penetrate our skin and it creates an occlusive barrier on the epidermis. To me, it is the same as smearing on a gob of Vaseline. No thank you!
Wellnest Denver Recommends
Cucumber + Tamanu Pore Cleansing Facial Oil from Henry + Tula.
You can also borrow some oils for your kitchens if you don’t want to go the professional route. Try an organic sunflower oil, almond oil, grape seed oil or sesame seed oil. My favorite is a mixture of sunflower and sesame seed oil.
How to Use
Applying an oil cleanser can be tricky. Here’s the right way to do it!
- Apply a small amount of your favorite oil to your face bringing it all the way down to your neck and chest massaging your skin in upwards motions. Use the oil to remove mascara by gently massaging your lashes.
- Without water, add a small amount of cleanser onto the oil and continue to massage. This will help breakup the oil and continue to help remove makeup, dirt and debris.
- When you are ready, add water to the mix continuing the cleanse process and then rinse away.
- Follow this step with a second cleanse so that you have a beautiful clean slate that is prepped for products. A great second cleanser is Skin Script Rx Green Tea Citrus Antioxidant Cleanser or Lemon Cream Cleanser by Sanitas.
Vitamin C Serum
Why Vitamin C Serums?
If you are concerned about uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, under eye circles, dull saggy skin or photo damage, look no further than a vitamin C serum.
Vitamin C is great for helping to even skin tones and brightening our faces. Serums also help pull your products into your tissue for better absorption, which makes them even more effective.
Although there are a lot of daily vitamin C serums out there, it is best to limit the application of vitamin C products to twice a week. Our bodies can only absorb so much vitamin C and we eliminate excess through elimination. It is also important to remember that over use of vitamin C can cause dehydration in the skin, which is when our skin is lacking moisture internally. Dehydrated skin looks aged, this is the complete opposite of what we want right?
Wellnest Denver Recommends
Personally, I love Skinceuticals C E FERULIC® with 15% L-Ascorbic Acid.
How to Use
Anti aging serums should be applied after cleansing but before applying moisturizer. I prefer to apply serums at night so that they can work their magic while I sleep.
Retinols and Retinoids
Why Retinols and Retinoids?
Another option for creating a more even skin tone would be retinol or retinoid. You can use retinols from your licensed professional or have a retinoid prescribed by a doctor. Retinols come in a variety of strengths and formulations and the percentage of usage will vary from person to person.
In addition to helping even skin tone, retinol can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, encourage cellular turnover, and help heal acne. Although products with retinol are popular, they are not appropriate for everyone and some formulations have been known to cause irritation in sensitive skin types.
Wellnest Denver Recommends
The Retinol 2% Scrub from Skin Script Rx is a great way to incorporate retinol into your routine as your exfoliating step. This low dose of retinol is appropriate for even the most sensitive skin while delivering great results.
How to Use
Since retinols are exfoliating, it is important to use these products only a couple of times a week, or as recommended by a physician.
Physical Sunscreens
Why a Physical Sunscreen?
The number one most important thing that we can do for our skin is to wear our SPF, every day, year round. We all need SPF no matter our age, gender, ethnicity, or location.
SPF does not just protect against photo damage, it also protects against environmental damage. The secret to an ageless face is in your SPF bottle. When it comes to SPF, there is so much to know that it can be tricky picking one that is the best option for you.
This is the only type of sunscreen that I will wear! Physical sunscreens are mineral based sun protection, which often contain zinc or titanium dioxide. These physical blockers work by deflecting harmful UV rays from your skin.
People often steer away from physical blockers because they have a bad rap for being heavy and leaving a white tint on the skin. Physical blockers have come a very long way and there are plenty of options that absorb beautifully! Look for something that is broad spectrum and protects from both UVA and UVB rays.
Chemical sunscreens, on the other hand, work by creating a chemical reaction that turns UV rays into heat and disperses it. These sunscreens often contain a lengthy list of ingredients that are often overlooked. Usually this is the more attractive sunscreen because they are often a thinner consistency, have higher SPF number, and come in cool options like sprays.
Although tempting, chemical sunscreen are known to:
- Irritate sensitive skin
- Increase the appearance of sun damage and hyperpigmentation
- Take longer to work
- Need to be reapplied more frequently
- Contain pore clogging ingredients that may cause breakouts
- Contain ingredients that act as hormone and endocrine disruptors.
- For those who have rosacea, this type of SPF can increase redness because of the increase in body heat.
I avoid chemical sunscreens or makeup with SPF (it doesn’t cover you!) and encourage my clients to grab the physical sunscreen! You’ll need a physical sunscreen in addition to any moisturizer or makeup, unless it is a professional product.
And if you needed one more reason to choose a physical sunscreen, know that they are less likely to cause acne and breakouts. Just be sure to choose a high-quality brand.
Wellnest Denver Recommends
My favorite physical sunscreen to use and recommend is BiON Tinted Mineral Moisturizer SPF 35.
How to Use
Daily, or anytime you step outside.
Hyaluronic Acid
Why Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a clear, goo-like substance that the body produces naturally to hydrate the skin, connective tissue, and your eyes.
Hyaluronic acid is moisturizing, nourishing, and hydrating. It helps to store water and keep your tissues moist and properly hydrated. Hyaluronic acid is also a humectant, meaning it pulls moisture into our skin from the air around us.
Products that feature hyaluronic acid are great for helping plump up and hydrate skin.
Wellnest Denver Recommends
PRODUCT REC
How to Use
Use a serum or moisturizer with hyaluronic acid in it at night and sleep with your humidifier on. Your skin will absorb even more moisture and you will take beauty rest to the next level.
Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10)
Why CoQ10?
CoQ10 is another magical ingredient that encourages proper moisture levels in the skin and boosts both collagen production and elasticity. Choosing products with these ingredients will help you age gracefully and can help you have the best skincare routine for your 30’s and up.
Products with CoQ10 offer protection by:
- Increasing healthy cell activity and restoring skin cells
- Reducing the effects of sun damage
- Evening skin tone
- Stimulating collagen production
- Reducing free radical damage
- Reducing fine lines and wrinkles
Wellnest Denver Recommends
Skin Scripts Rx has a beautiful Ageless Moisturizer for only $15 packed with Co-Q10.
How to Use
Apply before and after sun exposure to reduce any effects of sun damage. You can also apply moisturizers with CoQ10 as a night cream or serum.
Eye Creams
Why Eye Creams?: Eye creams are formulated to treat the delicate skin of the eyes, which has different needs and challenges than skin in other areas of your face. Using an eye cream regularly prevents sagging, wrinkles, lines, and dark circles.
My two favorite ingredients to look for in eye creams are licorice root and peptides. Licorice root helps calm puffiness in the eyes and combats dark circles. When applied topically peptides trigger skin cells to perform specific functions such as building collagen and elastin.
Wellnest Denver Recommends
My favorite eye cream that contains licorice root, peptides, and 25 mg- CBD oil is Bright Eye Cream by Color Up Therapeutics.
How to Use
Apply an eye cream after you cleanse your face. For even better results, use a jade roller over the eye cream to help revitalize tired eyes. Gently roll underneath your eye, to your nose, all the way out and stopping above your ear.
Not only will this help with product absorption, the cold jade roller will reduce puffiness and move lymph and blood that can often pool under the eyes!
Cosmetic Acupuncture
Why Cosmetic Acupuncture?
Mature skin deserves a little extra care, time, and attention. That’s why I specialize in offering effective holistic beauty treatments for maturing skin. Over the past many years, I have seen the wide range of skin challenges women struggle with and helped each one age gracefully with cosmetic acupuncture.
Cosmetic acupuncture, also known as facial acupuncture, is a non-surgical procedure that reduces signs of the aging process. It restores the skin’s integrity by increasing collagen and elastin production in the dermis.
Other ways cosmetic acupuncture helps improve the skin’s tone as it ages:
- Reduces and eliminates puffiness and bags underneath the eyes and around the face.
- Lifts drooping eyelids and sagging jowls or double chin.
- Improves facial muscle tone, dermal contraction and elasticity.
- Increases circulation of the face resulting in improved radiance and color.
- Reduces the appearance of discolorations and dryness.
- Oxygenates and heals the skin.
Through years of experience and seeing what works with my patients, I created my own thorough approach to natural anti-aging and cosmetic acupuncture. My approach minimizes fine lines and softens deep wrinkles making them less noticeable.
Wellnest Denver Recommends
Cosmetic acupuncture is truly for anyone. Whether you have several problem areas you want to address, you want to prevent the signs of aging, or you simply want to enhance the health of your skin, we can help you feel good about the skin you’re in!
How to Use
Our cosmetic acupuncture packages are designed to create lasting results with effective, all-natural methods. Most packages include a series of 10-12 sessions over the course of several weeks. The best results come with regular, consistent visits followed by a healthy at-home routine.
If you’d like to know if cosmetic acupuncture is right for you, schedule a free consultation to speak with me directly about your needs.
Start Your Path to Healthier Skin
The most important step in choosing the best products for your skin is understanding what your skin truly needs.
I always recommend getting a skin consultation with a licensed esthetician or skin care practitioner. This takes out the guesswork and in the long run can save you from buying products that you don’t need. Then, you’ll be able to lay a great foundation for healthy skin right at home with a daily skin care routine that’s perfect for your skin.
Ready to stop guessing and start caring for your skin the right way? Book a consultation today with our expert Denver acupuncture facialist, Garryn Skurulsky, and learn what your skin really needs to look its best!
